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There was no crime in Star City, Arkansas. No murder. And no fear. Until now.
Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals -- Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto -- travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town's sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives' presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.
Steve
Mar 9, 2017 · via TMDB
www.noiroftheweek.com Bill Paxton was something else. The Texan got his start about 40 years ago as a set dresser for New World Pictures before landing a bit part soon after in New World's cheap-o Crazy Mama. Paxton never looked back. His crooked smile was a welcome site in the 80s: Stripes, Weird Science, The Terminator, Commando, Near Dark and Aliens. Actors with his natural masculinity, dramatic and comic abilities were in desperate need in the 80s (and still today). He more than filled a need, he played roles that you couldn't imagine another actor doing. I don't think any supporting actor in an action film was as ever as good as Paxton in Aliens --going from cock-sure Marine to "Game over man!" defeatist is one of the funniest and honest parts in action movies. It made a great film even better by finally having someone be in full-on panic mode when things got very bad. Continuing into the 90s and beyond, Paxton alternated between big-budget blockbusters and small films, Paxton was always the most interesting thing on the screen no matter the role. In the film noir world, Paxton was actually in three films that are clearly in the film noir tent. And they're all outstanding. In 1998, he was top billed in the rural noir A Simple Plan. In 2001, he directed and starred in Frailty. Both of those are top heavy with fantastic performances and we'll no doubt cover them in future articles. But the one I wanted to highlight this week is One False Move. It's a crime film to be sure. But the story is driven along by people and feelings that motivate them. It was essentially the first lead role for Paxton and he knocks it out of the park. Instead of playing it straight, Paxton give a good-old-boy, off-kilter performance that fits perfectly with the telling of the story. Initially, Dale 'Hurricane' Dixon (Paxton) is seen through the eyes of big-city police as just a hick Arkansas cop trying to help the real police solve a crime. As the story unfolds his ego is crushed then his past comes back to haunt him. You can see the gears in his head turning in the simple man's head as things get more and more complicated. The film intercuts between two stories. One of the amusing Hurricane and the LAPD cops, and the other the criminals on the lam quickly becoming more and more paranoid and unhinged. The crooks are played with gusto by pony-tailed Billy Bob Thornton (also the co-writer) and Michael Beach. Cynda Williams plays Fantasia-- the beautiful black woman that ties all the stories together. The film was initially set to be a direct-to-video release but it turned out so well, it was sent to theaters to rave reviews. Roger Ebert wrote in 1992, "On the very short list of great movies about violent criminals, One False Move deserves a place of honor, beside such different kinds of films as In Cold Blood, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Badlands, The Executioner's Song and At Close Range. It is a great film." Watching it last week, it still holds up. It's great to see a film from that era not inspired by the Tarantino tsunami of sound and pop culture that influenced all crime films a few years after. It's a quiet rural noir with a sense of dread in the silence. Unlike other noirs of the era leaning heavily on camera gymnastics and venetian-blind shadows, it's shot (by director Carl Franklin) in a straightforward way making the grisly violence more terrifying when scenes end short -- sometimes right before violence. Deliberately slow paced, the film drinks in every moment. I recommend you find One False Move. Then turn off your phone and watch it without distraction.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Fandango At Home
Bill Paxton
Dale "Hurricane" Dixon
Cynda Williams
Fantasia / Lila
Billy Bob Thornton
Ray Malcolm
Michael Beach
Pluto
Jim Metzler
Dud Cole
Earl Billings
McFeely
Natalie Canerday
Cheryl Ann
Jimmy Bridges
Bobby
Phyllis Sutton
Jackie
John Mahon
Chief Jenkins
Duncan Rouleau
Video Analyst
Don Brunner
Press Officer
Jesse Dabson
Beaver
Rocky Giordani
Billy 'The Face'
Wynn Reichert
Coroner
Loren Tyler
Marco
Nieci Payne
Marco's Wife
Leslie Mauldin
Driver's Wife
Frank Silva
Property Master
Janusz Kamiński
Second Unit Director of Photography
Jeff Cadiente
Stunt Coordinator
Carl Franklin
Director
Michael Grossman
First Assistant Director
Carole Kravetz Aykanian
Editor
Donald Paul Pemrick
Casting
Miles A. Copeland III
Executive Producer
Paul Colichman
Executive Producer
David Andriole
Location Assistant
Jesse Beaton
Producer
Billy Bob Thornton
Writer
Take The Bridge
Dude...We're Going to Rio
Pulp Fiction
Se7en
It's a Wonderful Life
Memento
M
Blade Runner
Heat
Rope
Dancer in the Dark
Misery
Annie Hall
The Banker
The Big Sleep
Happy Together
The Birds
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Dirty Harry
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Barren Lives
American Psycho
The Long Goodbye
A Time to Kill
The Magnificent Ambersons
Minari
Lolita
Lethal Weapon
Cape Fear
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
Collateral
Beverly Hills Cop
Crash
Kiss Me Deadly
An Inspector Calls
The Unknown Woman
A History of Violence
Speed
Bullitt
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The Lost Boys
Frenzy
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Million Dollars Snatch
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Con Air
The Devil's Rejects
Commando
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Fiction.
Eye of the Needle
Live Free or Die Hard
Singapore Sling
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The Gauntlet
Beverly Hills Cop II
Out of the Blue
2 Fast 2 Furious
Bobby
Ice Station Zebra
Black Dog
Spell
Little Buddha
Andha Naal
Turks & Caicos
Entrapment
Thumbsucker
Izzat
Saw IV
The Rules of Attraction
Angel
Them
Switchback
Mulholland Falls
Smoking Guns
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Lucas
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Boxing Helena
Running Scared
Glass Chin
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Perkins' 14
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True True Lie
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Pendulum
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Hunting Season
Assault on Precinct 13
Harry Brown
Blindfire
Year of the Dragon
New Jack City
Farewell, My Lovely
Walking Tall
Coffy
Kiss the Girls
Killer Joe
Close Range
Rise of the Footsoldier 3
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Rise of the Footsoldier
Assassination Games
Cop
Extreme Prejudice
The Substitute 2: School's Out
Crown Vic
God Is a Bullet
The Shepherd: Border Patrol
The Corruptor
Rampage
Hard to Kill
The Rookie
Until Death
Night Train
The Killer Inside Me
Walking Tall: Lone Justice
May 8, 1992
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Stripper Wives
1999
Sally's Beauty Spot
1990
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
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